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Muscle Car Restoration – The Tools You Need

The truth is that there are a lot of tools that will be needed during a car restoration. In this article I will not be talking about how to set up a shop, but rather the tools that you need to restore your car at home. We all know that this is a big job, so get ready to get down and dirty.

The very first suggestion that I will make, is that you absolutely must have a garage to do the work in. It doesn’t need to be a huge outrageous garage, just a place where you can leave your car for a while that will keep it out of the weather, this will not be a fast process.

The garage that you work from also needs to have power, this is also a must. You can’t possibly do all of the work with hand tools. There are a few tools that I will suggest that you could live without if you have to, but most of them will be a must.

It would also be a nice idea to have heat in your garage, this will make it more comfortable to do your work. Below I will add a list of the tools you will need to restore your classic car. This list may not cover all of the tools, but it will cover most of the ones that are a must.

Let me also give a warning here, it you are one of those people who think that everything has to have a time limit, and that time limit must push you to move the job along quickly, this my not be that much fun for you, it will take a lot of time.

List Of The Tools That You Need To Do A Car Restoration

1. This is a must have, you will need an air compressor that can handle the work load that you will through at it.

2. You will need a full set of wrenches, both metrics and SAE.

3. You will need a ratchet, and a full set of sockets.

4. You will need a full set of screwdrivers.

5. You will need a 5″ air grinder.

6. You will need a 1/2″ and a 3/8″ breaker bar, and sockets to use with them.

7. You will need a full set of pry bars.

8. You will need air lines to connect your tools to the air.

9. Optional it is always nice to have a drop light when you need it.

10. You will need paint guns to spray the primer with, I do not suggest low dollar spray gun, get about a mid range brand name gun.

11. You will need air files for shaping the body filler that you will be using.

12. You will also need long hand file boards, the shaping is always better when it’s done by hand.

13. You will need body hammers and dollies to take out dents with.

14. Optional you should have a uni-spotter nail welder to pull dents also, a good brand to look at is stinger.

15. You will need a die grinder, this is an absolute must if you have rust, or dents that require you to cut out the area to fix the problem.

16. You will need a mig welder, this is another piece of equipment that is not an option, it is a must. Do not by a no name welder either.

This may not be all of the tools that you will need, but it should get you well on your way to getting the job done in an efficient manor. You should not have to look for tools every time you turn around if you have these basic tools.

The other thing that I always harp on is safety, you should always do you work with another friend around so in case something happens during the process and you need help. The key idea here is to have fun, and do the job in a safe manor.